The Silent Path of the Swordsman

Chapter 10 - Soul Crystal

Luo Lian shot toward Luo Yi like a bolt of lightning.

BOOM!

A deafening explosion shook the air. The waters of Lake Wuyao were blasted upward, surging in every direction due to the extraordinary eruption of Qi energy from Luo Lian's attack.

The water that had been thrown into the air rained down upon the land surrounding the lake, flooding the ground and causing several trees to topple beneath the impact of the sudden, raging current.

In the middle of the lake, which now appeared noticeably shallower, thick white mist billowed into the air. As the afternoon wind blew gently, the mist slowly parted, revealing Luo Lian standing upright on the surface of the water. His face was pale, and his breathing was labored.

He had just used the Moonfang Slash, a technique that caused his body to move as fast as lightning and slash down like a moonfang descending from the heavens.

His once-white hair had now returned to its original black color. His ferocious aura gradually faded, and his cultivation level returned to the Ninth Stage of the Advanced Realm.

His Qi energy was now almost completely depleted. The small amount of Qi he had left was only enough to keep his body standing and allow him to walk across the surface of the lake.

His body now extremely weak, he staggered toward the lakeshore. Despite his condition, a satisfied smile was etched across his face. He had seen himself successfully slash Luo Yi's body with the Moonfang Slash, reducing the young man's body to pieces.

After all, to Luo Lian, it was impossible for anyone to escape the Moonfang Slash.

Once he reached the lakeshore and saw a large rock not far ahead of him, he walked toward it, then sat cross-legged and closed his eyes to meditate, intending to restore his body, which had suffered severe internal injuries as a side effect of consuming the Blood of the Knight Pill.

---

“What was that sound?” Luo Qin asked as she turned toward the source of the explosion she had just heard.

Luo Yin, standing beside her, replied, “There might be a major battle taking place over there.”

Luo Qin turned toward her older sister. “I'm curious, Sis.”

“We'll check it out afterward,” said Luo Yin, then shifted her gaze toward the corpse of the Red Scorpion Monster they had defeated. “For now, let's take the Soul Crystal from this monster.”

Luo Qin nodded, and the two of them split open the corpse of the Red Scorpion Monster with their swords. Surprisingly, after the monster died, its body was no longer as hard, so it was not too difficult for them to retrieve the Soul Crystal inside its body.

After successfully finding the Soul Crystal inside the monster's body, Luo Yin handed it to Luo Qin. “Use it!”

Luo Qin felt uneasy. “You should have it instead. I've already used the Soul Crystals from the monsters we've defeated several times, and you've always given them to me.”

“But your cultivation realm is still below mine,” Luo Yin said, her hand still extended toward Luo Qin as she offered her the Red Scorpion Monster's Soul Crystal. “Hurry up and use it. We don't have much time.”

“All right, then. Thank you, Sis Yin.” Luo Qin finally accepted the Soul Crystal, then sat cross-legged, closed her eyes, and absorbed the pure energy contained within the crystal orb to increase her cultivation realm.

Yes, in the martial world, a Soul Crystal was a core of energy formed within the bodies of magical beasts—large, ferocious creatures that had developed spiritual power. These crystals stored pure energy that was extremely useful to cultivators.

By absorbing the pure energy from a Soul Crystal, a cultivator could strengthen their body, heal internal injuries, or even raise their cultivation realm if their condition and limitations allowed it.

After finishing her absorption of the pure energy within the Red Scorpion Monster's Soul Crystal, Luo Qin smiled. She had successfully broken through to the Eighth Stage of the Advanced Realm. Before absorbing the pure energy within the Soul Crystal, her cultivation realm had been at the Seventh Stage of the Advanced Realm.

Luo Yin, who also sensed her younger sister's increase in cultivation, smiled as well, sharing in her happiness. During the three years she had spent carrying out missions with her younger sister, she had always given her the Soul Crystals of every monster she defeated, and she intended to continue doing so until her younger sister's cultivation realm reached the same level as hers: the Third Stage of the High Realm.

This was because, before her husband, Luo Yang, left her, he had once done the same thing for his younger sister. One thing she had learned from her husband was ... caring for one's companions.

However, after seeing Luo Yang cruelly say such hurtful words to his own son, she had come to hate her husband deeply.

“Come on, let's check out what happened over there,” Luo Yin suggested as she channeled her Qi energy into her sword, causing it to float, then leaped onto its blade. “It seems the explosion we heard earlier came from Lake Wuyao.”

Luo Qin, now also hovering above her own sword, replied, “If the explosion came from Lake Wuyao and could be heard from here, then there is most likely a powerful cultivator fighting there. We have to be careful!”

Luo Yin turned toward her younger sister. “Don't worry. We'll just observe from a distance.”

Luo Qin quickly nodded, and the two of them shot southward, toward the location of Lake Wuyao.

---

After half an incense stick had burned, Luo Yin and Luo Qin finally arrived at Lake Wuyao.

However, they did not see any battle taking place here. All they saw were the horrifying remnants of a battle that had most likely ended only recently.

“Looks like we're too late, Sis,” Luo Qin said as she leaped down from her sword onto the wet ground.

Luo Yin did the same, jumping down before storing her sword inside her storage ring. “But I'm certain this battle only ended moments ago,” she said, her gaze sweeping over the fallen trees before she crouched down and touched the wet ground. “It seems the explosion we heard earlier caused the lake water to spill onto the land.”

“Maybe a High Realm Cultivator did this!” Luo Qin said.

“I don't think it was a High Realm Cultivator. I think it was a Knight Realm Cultivator!” Luo Yin replied, then suddenly heard someone's footsteps coming from behind them.